I have been smelling this weird mildewy smell for the last two weeks. I am not sure if the humidity down here in the south is doing something weird with the carpet or what... It's kinda repulsive.

Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

I usually drive with the windows down and the sunroof back. I leave the roof cracked when I am out and about, but mostly it is shut. I can't pin the stink down to any one area, and it doesn't improve if i use the A/C.

 

Has it rained? Could be your sunroof has a leak that is sending water down into a space that doesn't dry out quickly. IIRC, someone here had a problem with a drain tube that went down one of the pillars.

 

Try pouring some baking soda in an open container to absorb the smell. I think Robin may be onto something w/ his comment above, especially if it's been humid out, letting water condense inside the car.

 

I think my AC has mold growing in it somewhere. It stinks when I first start the car. Hope it does not make me ill.

 

Yes Robin is right, there are 4 drains on those sunroofs, have the dealer check them out.

 

ditto on checking your drain tubes, we had a problem with a clogged drain tube on our '05 but ours didn't stink luckily it was caught before any mildew set in

 

I found the same smell in my 04. Discovered that is was the window seal on the out side of the window. Not sure how to get ride of it without having to pay for a new one. Any Ideas?

 

How many miles on the cabin air filter? Might want to check that thing as well.

 

I've owned cars where the A/C condenser drain line got plugged. (Normally, you see water dripping beneath the car on a hot day after using the A/C and you've parked...it's dripping out of this line). It caused the water to back up and get mold/mildew inside the cockpit. It smelled particularly bad when first turning on the blower.

I'd suggest getting a dealer to look at it if it's under warranty. If not, you may have a knowledgable mechanic or friend...

My solution was periodically to pour bleach down the tube. This worked, but was bothersome to have to do.

 

If you have the manual AC rather than the auto AC you just have a paper element filter. The Auto AC has a carbon activated filter. The carbon activated filter eliminates a lot of the odors. I have had this same problem with manual AC. I've picked up the carbon filter but have just not got around to changing out the filter.

 

My A/C also smells kinda' weird when I turn it on, but after a few secs it clears up. Maybe I need a new filter to !

 

Take a shower

 

Get a new cabin air filter

 

when I would my manual A/C sporadically it used to give me the funky "bad breath" smell when I would first crank it on, but now that I've been using my A/C almost non stop I haven't noticed it. Perhaps the constant A/C has dried up the source of moisture?

 

I have had this problem, too, especially when my car has been sitting out in the sun all day. After work, when I get in the car and turn on the AC it smells like some stinky, moldy, mildewy socks. After a few seconds it clears up.

 

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=142017

+1 for Fridgy-Fresh, available at Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes dealers.

Can costs about $15, so it is expensive Lysol, but it works if the problem is mold in the air system. You turn on the AC with the air recirculation OFF and spray it in the vents outside the car near the wipers. Once it enters the car, switch the recirculation button back on and let the stuff work itself in/out/around for a few minutes.

 

I'm actually surprised that more owners don't complain about the mildew smell. according to my dealer there is a tech bulletin on it, but basically they spray the vents with fridgy or lysol to help kill the mildew. mine does it on and off, even after the 30k inspection where they changed the cabin filter several weeks ago. they also say to close the garage door and run the heater on high for about 5 or 10 minutes to dry out the system (will also kill you so you don't complain about the mildew any more).

 

If you live in or close to Atlanta you can come by to use my Ozone generator and De-humidifier to clear up the mold and dry out the car. Send me a PM if you are close to Atlanta/Vinings.

 

I've had this problems in cars in the past and several years back I read about a good solution. If you are driving with the a/c on, when you are a few minutes away from your final destination turn off the a/c and make sure the air is still blowing (fresh air, not circulated air). The fresh air coming in your car's air vents from the outside helps to dry out the condensation caused by the cold a/c air. This greatly reduces the amount of leftover condensation in your air vents, which should help prevent/remove the smell issue.

 

This is exactly the solution I had to use on my Merc Grand Marquis. I was searching threads to see where the fresh air intake was. Thanks.